ERO Boston apprehends convicted Brazilian extortionist charged locally for assault and battery, strangulation
BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an unlawfully present convicted fugitive Nov. 21 who is wanted in Brazil for extortion. Local authorities recently arrested and charged the Brazilian national with strangulation and assault and battery in Brockton.
The 31-year-old was initially arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol for unlawfully entering the United States and removed to Mexico in November 2018. He unlawfully reentered the United States on an unknown date at an unknown location without being admitted or inspected by an immigration official.
In September 2019, he was convicted of extortion and sentenced to five years in prison by a criminal court in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Brazilian authorities are currently seeking his custody for that conviction.
“Convicted foreign fugitives do not have a right to use our immigration system to flee from justice in their own country,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “ERO Boston places fugitives such as this individual, who face serious criminal charges here, at the top of our priority list. Those who hope to evade justice will not find sanctuary in our New England neighborhoods. We will seek out, apprehend and remove them so that they can no longer pose a threat to members of our community.”
ERO Boston arrested the Brazilian native without incident following his release from the Brockton District Court on multiple pending local felony charges. He will remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody while ERO Boston seeks his removal from the United States.
ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations and the repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.
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